


The Most Dangerous Game

by flibbertygigget



Series: The Other 51 [41]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Cannibalism?, Gen, Kidnapping, Racism, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-25 15:38:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7538395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flibbertygigget/pseuds/flibbertygigget
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prey mammals have been disappearing, their bodies turning up mauled by predators. Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps are assigned to the case. No sooner have they begun to piece the case together than they are plunged headfirst into a dangerous game.</p><p>Judy goes missing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

52 mammals, Judy thought, staring at the riverside crime scene. This last body made it 52 prey mammals found dead over a period of almost two months.

“Doing alright, Carrots?” Nick said, elbowing her slightly. He was trying for lighthearted, teasing, but she could tell that he was as nervous as she was. This was the last thing they needed, especially in the wake of the Nighthowler Incident.

It wouldn’t have been so bad if it was just simple murder, but of course nothing in their lives could ever be that easy. No, this killer was a special kind of awful. Over the course of each week, they took a number of prey mammals, no more than ten but no less than six, through what the ZPD had determined to be a series of cars cleverly disguised as taxis for small to mid-sized mammals. Over the course of each Sunday, without fail, the bodies of those same mammals would wash up on the shore of the river that ran through the heart of Zootopia.

But it was the method of murder that was what made their case so difficult and delicate. Each of the bodies was… mauled was the only word for it. Mauled beyond recognition and stripped almost to the bones. Worst of all, every body bore the unmistakable bite-marks of a predator.

“Come on,” Nick said, giving her a slight push on the shoulder. “There’s nothing more you can do here. The rest of it’s up to forensics.” Judy’s nose twitched. He was right, she knew that, but it felt wrong to leave the scene with the corpse of the young buck still lying there.

Still, going back to the station meant a computer. A computer meant being able to try to crack this case. Judy nodded reluctantly and allowed Nick to lead her back to the idling squad car and away from the bloody riverbank.

* * *

 

“Hopps, you’re dismissed,” Bogo said, causing Nick to snap out of his daydream. He tried (no, honest, he did!) to pay attention during the Chief’s debriefing/official ass-chewing, but at a certain point he just gave up. Judy would fill him in later. Carrots actually took notes.

Nick slid his chair back, ready to follow his partner. “Did I say you could go, Wilde?” Nick froze, glancing over at Judy. Her ears were at attention, the smell of confusion and fear slight but noticeable. He gave her a small smile.

“Don’t get coffee without me, you hear?” he said. Judy rolled her eyes and left the room, leaving Nick alone with Chief Bogo.

“Wilde, have you listened to a word I’ve said?” he said.

“Nope,” said Nick. Bogo sighed. He looked tired, Nick realized, bone-weary in a way that Nick was able to sympathize more and more with as this case dragged on.

“We’re making the details of the case public,” Bogo said. Nick opened his mouth. “All the details.”

“Chief, the last thing we need is another-“

“I understand your concerns, Wilde, I really do, but mammals are afraid. Having more information gives them a sense of security, however false. That’s also why I’m releasing your and Officer Hopps’ names as two of the police assigned to the case.” Nick was lost now.

“Huh?” he said. Bogo sighed again. He was good at that.

“You’re a predator-prey pair, Wilde, not to mention your involvement with the Nighthowler Incident. Mayor Lionheart says that mammals are most likely to remain calm if they are told that this is being handled by officers they know and trust, and I have to say I agree.” He rubbed a hoof to his temple. “Which brings me to the real reason I wanted to speak with you alone.”

“Chief?” Nick couldn’t help the fear that coiled in his stomach.

“Officer Hopps. I need you to look after her, watch her back.”

“Carrots is a big girl. She can take care of herself.” Bogo leaned back in his chair.

“This isn’t about Hopps’ ability, she’s shown that many times over. This is about recognizing the increased risk due to her…” Bogo seemed to struggle for the right word, “condition.” Nick glared at him.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” he said. Bogo looked him straight in the eye.

“Wilde, I don’t need to explain the facts, they speak for themselves. Mammal-on-Mammal crime doubles when the victim is under four feet, and that statistic doubles again when they’re under three. Add that to a generally soft and non-threatening appearance, and, well… like it or not, there are criminals who see some mammals – mammals like Hopps – as an easy target. And what with her being a very recognizable public figure who is chasing a killer who seems to be targeting prey…” Nick nodded. It made too much sense. “You understand why I’m nervous.”

“I get it,” Nick said. “Don’t worry, I’ll cover her.”

“Good,” Bogo grunted. “We’re in deep waters with this case as it is. The last thing we need is for our little celebrity to be put out of commission.”

* * *

 

When Nick got back to the small cubicle that they shared, the first thing he noticed was the smell of coffee.

“You had one job, Carrots,” he whined. Judy grinned and waved a second cup at him.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t forget you,” she said. Nick sipped it. She’d remembered his usual order. There were times when it suddenly hit him that, yeah, he did have a friend, this was real, and this was one of those times. “So, what was it that Bogo wanted to talk to you about?” For a moment Nick considered telling her, but he knew how well that was likely to go and quickly discarded the idea.

“Oh, he just wanted to chew me out for not listening,” Nick said. “I told him to see a doctor to get the stick out of his ass.” Judy’s right ear twitched the way it always did when she was amused but trying to hide it.

“You should at least try to listen to him, Nick. He doesn’t just like to hear himself talk, unlike some foxes I know. He has important things to tell us.”

“Nah, that’s why I have you,” Nick said, reaching out to tweak her ear. “You always manage to cut through all of Bogo’s bullshit.” Judy laughed.

“You’re not funny,” she said. Nick raised an eyebrow. “Fine, you’re a little funny.” Judy turned back to her screen, face suddenly serious and determined. “You know what really, really bugs me about this case? We have so many patterns and leads, but they all seem to go nowhere.” Nick nodded, turning to his own computer.

“We have to figure it out eventually,” he said. “He’ll eventually slip up. He can’t keep going forever.” Judy’s ears drooped a little lower, and Nick silently cursed himself. Somehow he had made her feel even worse.

“But in the meantime mammals are dying,” she said, and Nick sighed. That was Judy all over, always trying to save the world.

“There’s only so much we can do,” he said, thinking back to his time as a conman. “Sometimes… sometimes mammals get hurt, Judy, good mammals, and there’s nothing you can do but save your own fur.” She shot him a poisonous look, and Nick wished that he didn’t have to see that, didn’t have to know that eventually all those ideals would be ground out of her like they had been out of him. She had made him believe in some of them again, true, but he knew the difference between idealistic dreams and cold reality. He could only hope that she would be blind to it for as long as possible.

“We’re police officers,” she said. “It’s our job to protect the defenseless. Sitting here, knowing that somewhere out there there’s a mammal who’s killed so many people, it’s…” She sighed and turned back to her computer. After a moment, Nick did the same.

He knew what she meant. This didn’t feel like what he had signed up for.

* * *

 

Both Nick and Judy jumped when they heard her name through the police radio on her desk. “Officer Hopps, I repeat, Hopps.”

“Right here,” Judy said, confused. It was rare for an officer to be called in directly.

“We have an attempted mammalnapping over in the Rainforest District. It’s probably got something to do with yours.” Judy looked at Nick. He was staring at the radio like it was his salvation.

“Think this is our big break, Carrots?” he said casually, but she could tell that he was as excited as she was.

“Hopps here, I’ll be right over,” she said.

The ride to the Rainforest District was silent and tense. True, this could be the break they were hoping for, but what if they were wrong? What if it was a false positive? Images of the crime scenes flickered through Judy’s mind. Every week, every day that they failed to find the killer was another mammal dead. If they didn’t solve it soon, Judy didn’t know if she could take it.

As soon as they got to the crime scene they were met by Fangmeyer. “Her name’s Eudora Wheatley. Field Mouse.” He glanced at Nick. “You might want to take this one alone, Hopps. She’s hysterical, won’t let any predator near her.” Judy nodded and pushed her way into the police tent that had popped up on the scene. Mrs. Wheatley was an older field mouse, and Judy could see even from across the room that she was shaking.

“Mrs. Wheatley?” she said softly. Wheatley looked up at her with dull, frightened eyes. “I’m Officer Judy Hopps with the ZPD. I know you’ve been through a lot today, but I need to ask you a few questions.” Wheatley nodded tentatively. “Can you tell us anything about what happened today?”

“I was going to play bingo,” she said. “That’s all. I wasn’t – I wasn’t doing anything bad. I got a taxi. It was being driven by a rat, a grey rat. Rats are not like mice, you know, but I thought since… but then he tried to…” She shuddered.

“Do you have any identifying marks that we could use to find him?” Mrs. Wheatley shook her head.

“I didn’t – I didn’t see. I couldn’t. I was too…”

“I understand, ma’am.”

“He kept babbling, talking about things that didn’t make sense. He said that he wasn’t going to hurt me, that he was just trying to restore the natural order. He called it balance-“

“Thank you for your time, Mrs. Wheatley,” Judy said. The statement wasn’t actually done, not by a long shot, but she needed air. She got out of that tent as quickly as possible, only allowing her nose to twitch and ears to droop when she knew that she was out of Mrs. Wheatley’s sight.

“So, Carrots, how did it go?” Nick said. Judy looked at him, trying to hide how much the interview had affected her, but he still wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Find out anything we can use?”

“The driver was a grey rat,” Judy said.

“How helpful.”

“Shut up. We also have a motive.” Nick’s ears perked up, but then he studied her carefully.

“It isn’t good,” he said. Judy shook her head.

“Nick, the rat was talking about the natural order and balance when he was trying to take Wheatley out.” Nick’s arm around her grew a little tighter. “It looks like a predator supremacy group, and a violent one as well.” Nick cursed under his breath.

* * *

 

Contrary to what a certain bunny might say and a certain Chief of Police might think, Nick was not a dumb fox. He knew a few things about increased risk and easy victims, he had been one himself, albeit in a different way. There wasn’t nearly as much stigma attached to being, say, a leopard or a lion as there was to being a fox. But this… now that they knew the reason that all those prey mammals were being killed, or at least part of the reason, he couldn’t ignore how easy it would be for the killer to take Judy away and…

“I have a few favors to call in,” Nick said to Judy as they made their way back to the station. “My old buddies aren’t stupid, if they know anything they’ll help me. Nobody likes a mammal that makes things more difficult for the rest of them.” Judy nodded, ears still drooping. Her fear-scent had gone away, leaving only sadness in its wake. “Hey, Carrots, you holding up?”

“It’s awful,” she said, fiddling with one ear. “It’s just awful, Nick. I know that it’s just a small group, and not all predators are like that, but…” Nick nodded. It made sense. No matter how much mammals these days liked to boast of being evolved and civilized, instinct still ran strong in them. Nature dictated that Judy would be afraid of predators in general, and it was only logic and friendship that made them work in the first place.

“I get it,” he said. “Hey, I can finish up here. Go home and get some rest. You deserve it.”

“You sure?” she said. Nick grinned.

“Positive.” Judy nodded her thanks and left the station, leaving Nick to turn to his phone. It had been a long time since he had called in a favor. He just hoped that his former partners in crime would be willing to help him.

“Finnick!” he said. “Just the fox I wanted to call!”

“What do you want, Wilde?” Finnick snapped. “I thought you were on the straight and narrow. Have a hankering for some pawpsicles?”

“No, no. Nothing illegal. I just… need a favor.” Finnick snorted. “It’s just information! No one will know that you’re my source, Scout’s honor.”

“That depends,” Finnick said. “What kind of information are we talking?” Nick sighed, and he could almost see how Finnick would come to attention at any hint that Nick was honestly over his head.

“Look, Fin, I… it’s this case. We have a how, what, and why, we just need a who. And it’s… it’s that prey-murderer case.”

“Holy furballs.”

“New information says that the perp is a predator supremacist, maybe a group of them. This just started, like, two months ago, and I know that word of anything like that gets around fast.” Finnick was silent for a while.

“I’ll tell you what I find,” he said, “but that’s all. I’m not going in deep for you, Nick, not with this. It’s too risky.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll get back to you whenever.” Nick nodded and hung up, leaning back in his chair. Finnick would do all he could. All Nick could do was wait.

* * *

 

Late that night, Nick was woken by his pawphone.

“Wilde here,” he muttered blearily into the speaker.

“I need you to come into the station. Now,” said the voice of Chief Bogo. “Officer Hopps is missing.” Nick was out the door in a flash.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, this turned out longer than I intended. It should be finished up in one more chapter, don't worry.

Nick burst into Chief Bogo’s office, slamming his fists on the desk and getting in his face.

“What the fuck is going on?” he snarled, the sides of his lips pulling back to reveal razor-sharp teeth. Bogo didn’t even flinch.

“Wilde, stand down.”

“Can you tell me who took her, or am I supposed to figure that out by myself too?”

“Wilde!” Nick reluctantly sat down, teeth still half-showing. “I know you’re worried about Officer Hopps, but you will help no one by losing your cool.”

“Do you know who did it? How did they get her?”

“It was a taxi.” Nick cursed under his breath. Of course it had been a taxi. Stupid, dumb fox. He had just wanted her to get some much-needed rest, but instead he had ended up sending her right into the waiting fangs of some predator. “She got in at 15:34 yesterday afternoon. It took us a few hours, but we’ve confirmed it with her landlady. Hopps is missing.” Bogo looked at Nick with something far too close to pity. “Don’t blame yourself for this, Wilde.”

“I told her to go home early. I sent her into that taxi.”

“Maybe so, but what’s done is done. Now we have to concentrate on what’s important: finding Officer Hopps and getting her away from whatever criminal has decided to get her out of the way.” Nick’s tail twitched. “Yes, Wilde, this was definitely no coincidence. That taxi passed by four of five potential clients before pulling up beside Hopps. She was their target, plain and simple.”

“What do I have to do?” Nick said helplessly.

“The killer has a pattern. You have until Saturday night to figure out who they are and where they’re keeping her. The ZPD can give you the resources we have but…” Bogo shook his head. “We haven’t been able to figure this out for two months. If you are able to find out what’s going on, it won’t be through us.” Nick studied Bogo. For once the Chief seemed slightly uncertain.

“You’re telling me to break protocol,” Nick said, slightly awed.

“I’m telling you to use the resources that you have at your disposal, even if they are not within the ZPD.” Bogo hesitated. “Hopps is one of our best officers. Your main objective is to find out what’s going on so we can arrest the bastards responsible, but if it is at all possible…”

“I understand, Chief.” And Nick understood, oh man he understood. No matter what Bogo said for the sake of the record, there was nothing more important than getting Judy out of there. The ZPD looked after their own.

He had five days to get her back. Nick clenched his teeth together. He would do it, no matter what. The other option… he couldn’t even think of it. It was impossible.

* * *

 

Nick practically pounced on his phone when he saw who was calling. “Finnick,” he said. “You have the info, I hope.” He could hear Fin’s sigh on the other end of the line.

“Yeah, I’ve got news, kid, and you’re not going to like it. Have you ever heard of Erik von Rathorn?”

“I’ve heard the name.” When he was a conman, von Rathorn had been the name of one of the more shadowy crime bosses, the kind that small fry like him stayed away from. As a police officer, von Rathorn was a criminal with a file as thick polar bear fur and no arrests.

“Word is that he’s started a Naturalist Club.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, no, not that hippie-dippy, inner peace kind of playhouse. He takes the word ‘naturalist’ a bit more… primitively.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Me neither, so I did a little more digging for you. It turns out that he’s been having various predators pay him large sums of money for riverboat rides out to his private island near the source of the Zootopia River. From what I’ve been able to glean, these rides are for the purpose of… well, the way my source says it, ‘restoring the natural order.’” Finnick sounded sick. “They’re hunting prey, Nick.”

“Fin,” Nick said, “Fin, they’ve got Carrots.”

“WHAT?” At any other time, the sheer shock and anger in Finnick’s voice would have been hilarious. For someone who claimed to be a more hardened criminal than even Nick, he seemed to have taken to Judy surprisingly easily. Then again, Judy had a way of doing that to a guy. Nick should know.

“It was this afternoon. She left early – I told her to leave early, and she never made it home.”

“Jeez, Nick, what’re you going to do?” Nick thought of Bogo’s tentative permission to do whatever it took to crack the case. He thought of Judy, being hunted down as though she wasn’t a mammal at all.

“Whatever it takes,” he said. “I’ve got to talk to the Chief, Fin, plan out our next move, but… keep your phone on you, yeah? I might need someone in my corner who isn’t exactly on this side of the law.”

“You’ll owe me big time for this one, Nick,” Finnick said. Nick grinned in spite of the rapidly growing terror of the whole damn situation. Finnick would be on his side now, he knew that.

* * *

 

“The Naturalist Club?” Bogo said, stroking his chin.

“That’s what my source called it, Chief,” Nick said. “So, what’s our next move?” Bogo gave him a measured look.

“You tell me,” he said. “We need evidence, hard evidence of what’s going on. We also need a way to get Hopps out of there before this Saturday.” Four more days, Nick realized. They only had four more days to figure out a plan. Suddenly, the answer hit Nick like a tidal wave.

“Sir, I’ve got one,” he said, “but you aren’t going to like it.”

“At this point, I’ll take what we can get.” Nick took a deep breath.

“I can go undercover at this club. Just give me the money and a hidden camera, and I’ll get you the evidence you need. And then, when I have the evidence, I’ll get Hopps out.”

“But how are you going to get in?” Bogo hadn’t shot down his plan, Nick realized. Things must be really desperate.

“My contact said he’d keep in touch. He can get me in.” At least, Nick knew that Finnick would try his damnedest. “Once I’m in, it’ll just be a matter of finding the right time to break her out.” Bogo didn’t answer for a few minutes. He seemed to be mulling it over, trying to find another way, any other way.

“You’re… well, without Hopps you tend to be a bit of a loose cannon, Wilde. I have other predator officers that I know can work undercover. Are you sure you don’t want someone with more experience to-“

“My contact won’t work with them,” Nick said quickly. There was no way that he would be sidelined in this. “He doesn’t trust the police.” And Nick didn’t trust someone else to do whatever it took to get Judy out of there. “The only reason he agreed to help me was because he knew me before.”

“And you’re sure that you can blend in with them?” Nick smirked.

“Chief, I was one of them for most of my life. Have a little more faith in me.”

“Fine,” Bogo said. “I don’t have much of a choice in this either way. We need to close this case, and fast. I’m counting on you, Wilde.”

“I understand,” Nick said. Now that he had actually gotten Bogo to agree to his plan, Nick was beginning to have doubts. There were so many variables, so many things that could go wrong, and in most of those situations either he or Judy or both of them ended up dead. He couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

“I can get you fitted for an iris cam. It works like a contact lens, but it will give us a live stream of everything that you’re seeing.” Nick understood Bogo’s unspoken reasoning. If he didn’t make it out alive, there would still be the evidence they needed.

“Got it,” he said. “Give me a bit, I need to speak with my contact.”

“Granted. You’re dismissed, Wilde.” Nick left the office and took out his pawphone, dialing out the number.

“Finnick,” he said.

“What’s the plan?” Finnick seemed to have dropped the pretense of being reluctant to help him, Nick noticed. It was amazing what a threat toward a friend could do.

“I need you to get me in with the Club,” Nick said. “I’m going undercover to get the evidence we need to shut them down and rescue Carrots.”

“Consider it done,” Finnick said, hanging up. Nick stared at the pawphone for a second, and then he shook his head. He had so much to do, and only a few days to get ready for the most important con of his career.

* * *

 

It was four a.m. when Nick woke up Saturday morning, unable to go back to sleep. He knew that he should at least rest, but instead he paced the floor of his small apartment, going over and over the details of the plan. He felt as though he was about to throw up. Before, the worst that could happen if he was caught red-handed in the middle of a con was being roughed up a bit or arrested. But if he was found out by von Rathorn, he would be beaten or killed and Judy… Judy would be dead.

Nick didn’t want to be the one the whole plan hinged on. He wasn’t really police; he wasn’t the good guy. He was a conman, plain and simple. Unfortunately, (or fortunately), a conman was exactly what they needed.

At seven Nick went to the station to get the iris cam put in. After a tense meeting with Bogo (“with the camera on, that means everything can and will be used against those involved, so don’t let your contact do anything stupid”) he went to The Humble Den to wait for Finnick.

The Humble Den was, to put it kindly, a dive. Mostly foxes, with a few weasels and ferrets scattered here and there. In his plainclothes, Nick fit right in, especially considering that this had been one of the places that he had frequented before going straight. It took another hour and a half for Finnick to show up.

“You owe me so big time,” he grumbled. “I got out of bed before noon for this, Nick. I’m not even getting paid!” Nick sighed and pushed over a glass of cheap beer, which Finnick took gratefully.

“So, who’re you going to introduce me to?” Nick said.

“Cougar called Claws. Not his real name, of course. He claims that he’s been on one of these little cruises and can get you in on the next one.” Finnick took a large gulp of the beer and glanced up at Nick. “You sure you want to do this? I wouldn’t blame you for backing out. I almost did myself when I saw what kind of crowd I had to run with for this.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Mr. Big is one thing, but this… Big wouldn’t touch this lot with a ten-foot pole.”

“Jeez,” Nick said.

“Yep. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Nickie.” With that, Finnick turned to keep an eye on the doorway, and Nick did the same. Only ten minutes passed before Finnick turned back to him. “Look, Nick, between you and me…”

“You’re being recorded,” Nick warned.

“Fuck you, I know that. Look, I get it, you wanna get your girlfriend back-“

“She’s not my girlfriend, Fin.”

“And I ain’t saying I ain’t fond of her, too. But this, Nick? This is bad news. It don’t matter if you’re on the right side of the law or not, you can’t save everybody.” Nick sighed.

“That’s my line to Carrots, not your line to me.” Finnick opened his mouth to argue, but then he closed it. He suddenly seemed to understand.

“Oh, jeez,” he said. “You’re not gunning to save them all.”

“I’m not the good guy, Fin,” Nick said. He would have said more, tried to explain better and damn the iris cam, but then the cougar came in. Claws was an accurate name, as this mammal had had his filed so that they were even sharper than natural. Finnick waved him over.

“Fin,” Claws said, voice not giving away any hint of emotion, “you told me that you’d bring your friend.”

“Yep. Claws, this is Foxtrap.” Nick had to try not to snort. That had been his alias years ago, back when he had been briefly involved in the Class 3 plants trade before giving it up as a shit job. The name had been a bad joke, since it had been the slur that the guy who had gotten him in in the first place had always addressed him with.

“Pleased to meet you,” Nick said, holding out his hand. Claws shook it.

“I hear you want to do business with the Naturalists,” he said. Right to the point then.

“I’d heard rumors, but when they got confirmed, I knew I had to try it,” Nick said, trying to sound enthusiastic. Claws looked at him emotionlessly.

“It’s not for the faint of heart,” he said. “Restoring the natural order… it takes predators, not prey.” Nick gave Claws a toothy smile that showed every one of his deadly teeth.

“Do I look like prey to you, bud?” he said. Claws looked at Finnick, and Finnick nodded.

“It will cost you,” Claws said.

“I have money,” Nick said. “How much do you need?” Claws considered him for a moment.

“$1,500,” he said. Nick took out his wallet and began putting $100 notes on the table one by one. 10… 15… 20…

“Will this be enough?” he said. “I can go on.” Claws pocketed the cash. Nick reminded himself that the cougar would no doubt be arrested before Monday morning. The bills had come with an extra special gift of trackers.

“Here,” Claws said, handing him an elaborately designed ticket. “All the information you need is there. Tell von Rathorn I sent you.” Nick nodded, taking the ticket and putting it carefully in his wallet.

“Nice doing business with you,” he said. As soon as Claws had disappeared out the door he slumped back in his chair. Finnick pushed the beer towards him consolingly.

“You can still back out,” he said.

“Fin-“

“I can do it instead, Nick. You don’t gotta-“

“Fin, I was the reason she got taken at all. This is my mess, and I’m going to fix it.” Finnick snorted and patted Nick’s arm awkwardly.

“I should have known that Carrots would make you go soft, what with her and her… saving people thing.”

“Shut up, Fin.”

“I ain’t saying it’s a bad thing,” Finnick said with a grin. “Not all of us are cut out to be alone, Nick, and you’re one of them. I’m just glad that you got through it without havin’ to go to jail first.”

“Have I told you that you’re my favorite?” Nick said.

“Nah, you’d be lyin’ anyway,” Finnick said. “What does that ticket say?”

“Tonight. Eight to midnight. Dock 42A.”

“Oh, good old Smuggler’s Hood,” Finnick said. “You want me as backup?” Nick shook his head.

“You’ve stuck out your neck enough for me on this one, Fin.” He shoved a few $100s at the other fox. “Here. Go get yourself something nice, on me.”

“Jeez, no, there’s probably copper scent on those damn things.”

“I’ll make sure you stay in the clear,” Nick said. Finnick shook his head.

“Consider this repayment for all the pawpsicles,” he said. “See you around, Nick.” With that, Nick was left on his own to brood.

* * *

 

“It’s a quarter to eight. I’m going in,” Nick muttered, hoping that the iris cam picked it up. As casually as he was able, he strolled out onto Dock 42A. Within the next few minutes he was joined by a lithe cheetah, who looked at him suspiciously.

“I haven’t seen you here before,” the cheetah said. Nick smiled.

“The name’s Foxtrot,” he said. “Claws gave me the ticket.” The cheetah nodded.

“Davie Speed,” he said. “This your first go?” Nick nodded. “Fourth time for me. The guide is a bit of a weirdo, but when you get out in the forest…” He licked his lips, and Nick tried to disguise his shiver of fear as one of anticipation. “Well, let’s just say that you’ll never want to eat frozen fish again. The thrill of the hunt, that’s what it is. There’s nothing like being there, catching your own prey.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Nick said. “I had to pay a lot of money to get this ticket out of Claws.”

“Claws is a prey-livered coward,” Davie said. “Heck, I bet that he’d turn us all in if the guide didn’t have a lock on him.”

“You keep mentioning the guide,” Nick said. “Who is he?”

“Erik von Rathorn,” Davie said. Nick acted shocked. “Yeah, I know, but it takes a mammal with guts to set this little funhouse up.”

“I’ll bet,” Nick said. “Look, you don’t think he’ll-“

“Relax,” Davie said. “I’ve done this before, remember? Von Rathorn is tough, but he won’t go after you if you don’t go after him. Fair is fair.” Nick nodded, staring out over the river. It was hard to imagine this affable cheetah killing helpless mammals and, if his boasts were true, actually eating them, but Davie had, and the thought made Nick feel ill. It was only the fact that this was the only way to save Carrots that gave him the strength to keep up the con.

Eventually he and Davie were joined by a bear, two wolves, and a teenage lynx. Nick couldn’t help but notice that he stood out as the smallest of the mammals gathered. Still, the lynx was only taller by a few inches, so he was confident that it wouldn’t be an issue with his undercover work. The clock chimed eight times, and then a rat appeared from the shadows.

“Welcome, my friends,” he said. “I am your host and guide, Erik von Rathorn. Do you all have your tickets?” Everyone pulled out their tickets, and Nick quickly did the same. “Good. I wish you a successful hunt tonight.” A small riverboat pulled silently up to the dock, and they all boarded.

Nick looked around. Davie seemed relaxed, the lynx was bouncing with excitement, and the two wolves were quietly discussing with each other… Nick picked up the word “strategy” and wanted to die. The only mammal that seemed just as unsure as he was had to be the bear, so he slid over next to her.

“You ever done this before?” he said. The bear shook her head. “Me neither. I don’t know quite what to expect. I mean, I know that we’re hunting prey, that’s a given, but I don’t know how it’ll be set up or anything.”

“I expect that our host will tell us,” the bear said. Nick frowned. She wasn’t the talkative sort, but he needed something to do. Luckily he was saved from more awkward attempts at conversation by von Rathorn’s voice over the loudspeaker.

“I see that we have two new guests this evening,” he said. “For their sake I will repeat the rules. You will do well to listen too, Lex.” The lynx looked slightly put out. “You will have four hours from the time you walk off this boat to hunt down one of the six prey that will soon be released onto my private forest island.” The wall of the ship in front of them slid aside, and Nick’s heart jumped to his throat.

The prey were in cages. They shivered, naked, fear-scent choking the small cabin. The other predators (because that was all they were now, Nick thought, predators, not sane mammals) seemed excited, too excited. Nick, on the other hand, couldn’t take his eyes off the bunny that seemed to be trying to get as far away from the predators as possible, pressing herself into the corner of the cage.

Judy.

She noticed him, and her eyes got wider. Nick wanted nothing more than to assure her that everything was alright, that he wasn’t there for the same reason as the other, he was there to rescue her, but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t blow his cover. He forced his eyes away from her, glaring at the lynx that was looking at her and licking his lips.

“What, you think you can stake a claim?” the lynx said.

“Yeah, I bet I can,” Nick said, showing every tooth. The lynx snorted.

“Oh, it’s on, fox. I’ll have that cute little bunny, and you know what?” Nick wanted to punch the smug grin off the lynx’s face. “I’ll eat it right in front of you, and I won’t let you have a single bite.” Judy’s fear-scent, far too familiar to him over the course of their partnership, became overwhelming.

“We’ll see about that,” Nick said.

“Gentlemen, please,” von Rathorn said. “There is enough prey for all of you, so there is no need for fighting. After all, we are not savage. We are simply restoring the natural order: predators on top, prey on the bottom.”

“As it should be,” Davie whispered to him. Nick nodded.

“Of course, we are all about survival of the fittest here. That’s why we give our prey a fighting chance.” Nick saw Judy’s ears perk up. “If you can make it to the end of the night alive, you will be let go. Of course,” there was a pause, clearly for a slow smile, “no prey has ever escaped us yet.” Nick was glad that the pandemonium of predators growling and yowling in agreement allowed him to give a snarl of his own.

All he had to do was protect Judy and make sure she lived until the end of the night. Then they would be able to go home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be a one-shot. Instead it's going to be at least 10,000 words. I don't know if I'm proud of myself for this or not.

Bogo watched the iris cam’s feed, trying to keep his face carefully impassive. Clawhauser wasn’t nearly as successful as the Chief, making horrified little noises every few seconds as a new depravity was said or shown on the screen. In truth, Bogo didn’t mind. At least with Clawhauser in the room, he could be sure that what he was seeing was reality.

He watched as Nick walked off the riverboat and into an unassuming concrete building. Inside was cozy, utterly at odds with everything that had been shown to Bogo tonight, but he could tell from the way that the cam flicked around that Nick was still ill at ease. Not safe.

“Gentlemen, do you mind if I join you?” Bogo tensed slightly. Though Lionheart poking his snout into this case wasn’t exactly a surprise, he hadn’t expected the lion to actually watch this part.

“This is undercover work,” Bogo warned. “It could become… distasteful.” Lionheart sat down in a chair beside him, just in time for Nick’s voice to come, tinny, though the speakers.

“So, which one’ll you be dashing for, Speedy,” he said.

“Well, as you and Lex seem determined to fight over that bunny, I suppose the gazelle will have to do.”

“An excellent choice, my friend,” Nick said, and in the corner of the screen Bogo could see that the fox clapped Davie Speed on the back. “Honestly, if I wasn’t so determined to prove that damn lynx wrong, I might go for something a bit… meatier. Ah well, I suppose this is truer to the natural order anyways.”

“Indeed,” Speed said. Bogo gave Lionheart a measured gaze. The mayor looked as though he was about to be sick.

“Bogo, are you certain about this?” he said. “I mean… Nick Wilde may be an officer, but he’s still a-“

“Officer Wilde’s species has nothing to do with his ability as a police officer, sir. I would have thought that you of all people would understand that.”

“Well, there’s… there’s quite a difference between a lion who’s shown himself to have integrity and an ex-conman fox.” Bogo had to stifle an eye roll. It was such a typical thing for a politician to say. No matter how much Lionheart claimed to be fighting against prejudice and discrimination, he was no better than those he claimed to be fighting against, perhaps even worse because of the public face that he wore.

“Just watch the damn screen,” Bogo said, turning to take his own advice. Onscreen, the predators seemed to be stripping down, Nick only hesitating briefly before doing the same. “Wilde is a good officer. He won’t let me down.

From the speakers a faint bell rang, and Nick was off like a shot, bolting into the woods.

* * *

 

Nick could smell the fear-trails of the prey, and for a moment he allowed himself to get lost in them, almost relishing the idea that they were afraid of him, they were he quarry, they were…

In the distance the wolves howled, and Nick shook his head. He couldn’t forget what his real goal was. He held his nose in the air, trying to catch Judy’s scent, but for the moment she was not nearby, and she had not passed his location for at least half an hour. But to his left, no more than 20 feet away, Nick could smell the lynx.

Just the scent made him angry. That lynx had threatened Judy, talked of eating her as though she wasn’t worthy of being considered alive. Nick had to follow him, had to make sure that, wherever Judy was, he would find her first and not some lynx. Nodding determinedly to himself, Nick set out after the lynx.

As soon as he had him reliably in his sights, he hung back, careful not to be found out. The lynx didn’t seem to notice or scent him, completely focused on the hunt. He had his snout to the ground, trying to catch onto a scent trail. For a while he simply cast around, searching, and Nick was content to leave him that way. But then the lynx froze, a smile appearing on his face from the thrill of the hut, and he was off like a shot. Nick leaped from the bushes in hot pursuit, abandoning his bipedal stance in favor of something that, while less civilized, allowed him to move faster.

That was when he caught a fear-scent, but not of Judy.

It came from his right, and Nick veered off-course. If he allowed another mammal to die to save Judy, she would never forgive him. Besides, he thought pragmatically, what better evidence would there be for the police than footage of the hunt as it happened.

He burst into a small clearing, and the scene he saw made him close his eyes tightly. Nick forced them open, because he had to see it. He had to see it for the police to get the evidence.

* * *

 

“Holy furballs!” Clawhauser gasped. Bogo bit back a more vulgar curse. Mayor Lionheart could only stare.

Davie Speed was mauling the gazelle. His teeth tore into the gazelle’s neck, and the mammal convulsed, trying to get away even as the pool of blood on the ground grew far too large for anyone to survive. Bogo could hear Nick’s breathing through the iris cam, fast and harsh, as though he was trying desperately not to panic.

“I fucking hope you’re getting this,” he heard Nick mutter. Lionheart shook himself out of his daze.

“Why isn’t he doing anything? Why isn’t he stopping it?”

“He can’t afford to blow his cover,” Bogo said, even as he was thinking the same thing. At that moment he was glad that he had not sent one of the other predator officers as he had wanted. Whether because of concern for his partner or his own personality or biology, Nick was doing exactly what he had to do, something that Bogo was unsure he could ever bear.

“Bogo, you stood up for that mammal as an officer? He’s watching a murder! He could-“

“It’s too late,” Clawhauser said softly. Bogo sent a sympathetic glance toward his old friend. He knew that this had to be harder for Clawhauser than for either him or Lionheart. Clawhauser was one of the most empathetic mammals that Bogo had ever met, and to see someone just die like that… there was a reason why Clawhauser was happiest with his desk job. Not to mention that the sight of a cheetah doing something so horrible couldn’t be pleasant. “Nick’s got a job to do, he can’t put it at risk to try and save someone who is already dead.”

The three of them watched as the cheetah began to chow down, stripping the meat from the bones and chewing slowly, relishing every bit. His snout shone with blood in the faint moonlight. Bogo pressed the small button on the desk, the one he was only supposed to use in emergencies, but he couldn’t help but give what comfort he could to the fox who was doing this, doing the dirty work that he was pretty sure no one else could handle.

“Fall back, Wilde,” he said softly. “We’ve got what we need, now go rescue Officer Hopps.” Nick didn’t answer, but the iris cam bobbed up and down, so Bogo knew his message had reached him.

When Wilde got back to the station, Bogo was going to put him and Hopps on the easy paces for a month. God knows they deserved a break.

* * *

 

Nick was trembling. He didn’t need this now, this weakness, not when he had to catch up with the lynx and get to Judy, but he couldn’t stop it. Every time he blinked he could see it. Davie Speed had seemed so… normal, but what Nick had seen… that was not normal. The savageness, the bloodlust in Davie’s eyes as he had murdered that gazelle, would haunt Nick for the rest of his life. With a sharp jolt of guilt, Nick realized that he hadn’t bothered to remember the gazelle’s name from the missing mammals report that he had been sent. In spite of how hard he tried, he couldn’t even care about those he was supposed to protect enough to know their names when they came to his desk.

Nick remembered when Judy had stopped him, armed with her carrot pen and a family picture of the missing mammal she was trying to find. She had been so determined to help those otters that she had barely known, guilting and blackmailing him until he helped her. She had always been more than the average officer. Most police, at least in the ZPD, seemed to only care about the law, cold justice, the cut and dried world of the courtroom. Judy, though, was driven by an honest desire to help, to protect, to make her hopelessly idealistic version of Zootopia more than a naïve dream. And, man, wasn’t that just another naïve dream on top of all the others.

Nick knew the ways of the world in a way that Judy never would. Where she saw beauty and potential, he saw the rot and decay the spread throughout the very foundation of the city. One day, it would become too much, and the floor of the world would fall out from underneath them. When he had been a conman, Nick had never cared. After all, what was the point of caring when that rotting underbelly was what you made your dough off of? But now, as a police officer, but more importantly as the audience for all of Judy’s insane dreams, well… what he knew scared him half to death.

Judy’s utopian dream would be shattered eventually, he knew. Someday soon the axis would turn away from the idea of harmony and kumbayah, and then there would be hatred and chaos and one little bunny still trying to make the world as good and pure as herself. Nick couldn’t save anyone, he couldn’t stop the world from going to hell when the time came, but Judy…

If he couldn’t save one bunny, what good was he?

He had been following the lynx, only half paying attention to the scent in favor of his dour thoughts, but a faint cry, almost too far away to be heard, snapped him out of it.

“Don’t, please!” It was Judy, Nick knew it. His heart jumped to his throat, adrenaline surging though him as he ran, legs suddenly strong and sure. He couldn’t let her die. He couldn’t bear to see her body, mauled like that of the gazelle, blood glistening on the forest floor.

“She’s mine, you bastard,” he snarled as he burst through the undergrowth and slammed into the lynx. Judy, half-hidden in a tangle of tree roots, retreated further into them, fear-scent tumbling from her. The lynx’s surprise quickly turned to anger when he saw who it was that had interrupted him.

“What the fuck, fox?” he said. “I had it, right there, and now because of you it got away!”

“Didn’t I tell you that the bunny was mine?” Nick said, lips pulled back to show every one of his teeth.

“Don’t you get that we’re on the same side?” Nick gave a soft growl. “We’re predators, they’re prey. They want to subdue us, but this way… this way we can be the ones on top, the way that nature intended.”

“You can’t honestly believe that shit,” Nick snapped. The lynx gazed at him with wide eyes, and Nick silently cursed his mouth. His cover would be well and truly blown if he didn’t think of something fast. “I paid good money to eat rabbit, something that I would never be able to experience otherwise. Don’t ruin this for me.”

“Are you predator or prey?” the lynx said, as though the truth was slowly dawning on him. Nick decided to take a risk.

“I don’t give a fuck about the politics,” he said, “so keep that out of this. I came here for the food, nothing more.” Nick sniffed the air and immediately latch onto Judy’s scent. She couldn’t have gotten far. “Don’t test me. You don’t want to end up my prey as well.”

As Nick followed the scent trail that Judy had left behind her, he glanced behind him too often, but as far as he could tell the lynx had gone to find some easier prey. The thought almost made him feel ill. He didn’t want to ensure the deaths of other mammals for the sake of Judy’s, but… he couldn’t say that he wasn’t willing to do it. He was starting to realize that there were many things that he would do for the sake of Judy that he wasn’t exactly going to be shouting from the rooftops.

He just had to make it through the night. Just one night.

* * *

 

When he found Judy, she was curled in the underbrush, lungs and heart going too fast even for a hyperactive bunny. When she scented him, her nose twitched, and she tried to shuffle even further into the shadows.

“Hey,” Nick whispered. “Hey, Carrots, it’s me.”

“Nick?” she said. She poked her nose out of the underbrush, nostrils flaring, and then she hopped into the open. “Nick, oh God, thank God it’s you.”

“Shh, shh, it’s alright,” he said. “Look, I’m undercover. Just stay here until the end of the night, and I’ll come back for you.”

“What if they find me?” she said.

“They won’t,” Nick said. “I’ll cover you, make sure they don’t find you.” Another round of howling made the both of them jump. “Go, get down.”

“Will you stay close enough for me to scent you?” she said. Nick would have said no, but she was already trembling at the thought of him leaving her sight. To refuse her this would be cruel.

“Yeah,” he said. “Of course I will, Carrots.” She smiled at him, grateful and relieved. Nick set off to patrol the area with something warm sitting in his chest, confident for the first time that night that he was doing the right thing.

* * *

 

The remaining few hours went off without a hitch. Nick easily mislead the bear when she came poking around (“That scent’s actually hours old. That bunny’s a smart one; it left a huge tuft of its own fur for us to be misled by.”) and when the clock finally ticked its way to midnight Bogo let out a huge sigh of relief.

“It’s over,” he said. Clawhauser cheered, and even Lionheart looked glad. “Now all we have to do is send this down to evidence. With what we’ve got, we have an ironclad case against Erik von Rathorn.”

“Excellent work, Bogo,” Lionheart said with a politician’s smile.

“Don’t thank me, thank Officer Wilde,” Bogo said. “He’s the one to come up with this plan, after all, not to mention that he also went undercover at great personal risk.”

“Erm, yes, indeed,” Lionheart said. “I’ll be sure to say so next time I see him.” Bogo was wise (or jaded) enough to know that Lionheart would be doing no such thing, but he was smart enough not to say so.

“Ah, well,” Clawhauser said. “Time for me to get some beauty sleep. I’ll see you fellows bright and early in the morning.” Bogo was about to groan and say something back, but then he saw the screen flicker out of the corner of his eye. Bogo froze. That… was definitely not supposed to happen.

“Wait,” he said, and then he pressed on the button. “Wilde, do you read me?” No answer. “Wilde, report?” Silence. “Nick-“

In a burst of static, the iris cam shut down.


	4. Chapter 4

Nick could be certain of two things.

One was that midnight had come and gone, and there was no sign of someone to pick them up.

The second was that his iris cam was acting… strange. It had never been comfortable, but it had at least been unobtrusive, a constant dry prickling that was easy to put out of his mind. But now, ever since what his internal clock had told him was midnight or close to it, the camera had been twinging erratically, painfully, as though something inside it had gone horribly wrong.

Nick looked over at Judy, who, while still soaked in fear-scent, seemed to be on high alert. He was about to open his mouth and tell her about the iris cam, at least so they could come up with a plan, when he froze.

A high pitched siren was sounding. It started soft, but gradually it became louder and louder, forcing both of them to cover their ears, wincing. Then the iris cam shattered. Nick yowled as splinters of glass and plastic drove into his eye, paws coming up automatically but only making the situation worst. Judy screamed his name, and that was when he heard it.

“Ah, Nicholas Wilde,” said the inmistakable voice of Erik von Rathorn. “I thought that I recognized you. Imagine, a conman, one of our own, turned against us by the police as a spy.” Nick pressed a paw against his eye, trying to stem the bleeding, and he saw Judy looking around desperately to find the source of the voice. “I do apologize for the business with your eye. It is regrettable, but I cannot have the police looking in.”

“They already have all the information they need.” Yes, it wasn’t smart to show his hand, to let von Rathorn know all that had happened, but he was dead either way. It was worth it to get one over on the asshole who had killed so many. “There was a livestream being watched by the police this whole time. You’re as good as arrested.” Von Rathorn chuckled, and finally he showed himself. The sight of a rat walking into the clearing shouldn’t have been intimidating, but Nick… Nick was half blind, eye still streaming blood, and Judy was exhausted. Behind them he could hear larger mammals come though the underbrush, and Judy moved to put herself between them and Nick. Nick could only stare at the rat who had caused so much death and destruction.

“Do you really think I don’t know that?” von Rathorn said. “I knew your plan from the very beginning, Nicholas, just as I knew from the beginning that I had captured Judy Hopps, the ZPD’s first rabbit officer.” He glanced at Judy almost pityingly. “It’s a shame that my bodyguards are so eager. I would have loved to have hunted you myself.”

“Over my dead body,” Nick snarled. Von Rathorn walked right up to him, patting him on the snout.

“Don’t you realize, Nicholas, that we’re on the same side?” he said. “We have the same goal, though we go about it in different ways. We seek to carve out a place for ourselves when society has thrown us aside.”

“Nick is nothing like you,” Judy said, paw reaching out to barely skim the surface of Nick’s fur. The touch, though feather-light, was comforting.

“Oh, but he is,” said the rat. “After all, we small predators have always been underestimated. The prey are seen as weak and worthy of protecting; the large predators are seen as noble and civilized, helping the prey to their goal. And where does that leave us, Nicholas? Vermin, despised, unwanted. You have experienced this far too often when you see how they expect you to be the stereotypical sly fox, as I have when they expect me to be a dirty, thieving rat. So what do you do? You either give into them, and spend the rest of your life trying to prove them wrong… or you fight them.” Von Rathorn’s voice was silky. “The only question now, Nicholas, is if you have the strength to join me.” Nick stood shakily, back to back with Judy. He longed to switch their positions, to have to face off with huge, angry predators rather than this rat. Every word that von Rathorn said made sense, it was all true, but Nick couldn’t give in. Judy…

“Not all prey are like that,” he said.

“True,” von Rathorn said, “but I’m not talking about individuals. I’m talking about a system, Nicholas, a system that encourages you to lie and con instead of be a respectable citizen because that’s all they think you’re good for. This is the system that has turned its back on us again and again, and no amount of individual virtue, no amount of naïve belief that someday everything will be alright, will ever right the wrongs that they have done to us.”

“But why this? Why make them fear you? Why not-“

“Why not do it your way? Because your way doesn’t work. You have seen it, Nicholas. Even though you have saved them, even though you continue to save them, even as you wear their uniform and bend to their rules, they do not respect you. They do not want you to be good.” One of the bodyguards took a swipe at Judy, but she batted them away with her feet. “You were the victim of prejudice, of profiling, of hatred, and yet you go along with a corrupt system that never raised a finger to help you.” Nick sucked in a breath. “Yes, Nicholas. I do not know the particulars of your pain, but the story is always the same. In the past it was rat poison and fox traps, today it is a police department that will always consider us criminals first and citizens second and a populace that is only too eager to help them. The only way to beat the system… is to break the system.” Nick couldn’t answer. Erik von Rathorn, honeyed and soft and cultured, put into words what he had felt for as long as he could remember. He could only nod.

It was Judy who peeks around Nick’s body and answers von Rathorn’s words.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. Von Rathorn paused, jerking slightly. “I’m sorry that you have been hurt by mammals who, through ignorance or maliciousness, mistakenly assume that you’re always up to no good. I’m sorry that the ZPD, no matter how hard we try, can’t be the perfect institution. But you can’t lash out and hurt innocent mammals who have done nothing!”

“Do you really think that they would care about my plight, about the plight of us all?”

“Well, they damn well can’t now that they’re dead,” Judy snapped. “Look, mammals are… mammals aren’t perfect. We make assumptions, we think everything we’re told is true, and we hurt other mammals because of that. But you can’t dismiss every mammal as being the same. People can change, Erik. I know I did.” Von Rathorn laughed.

“Do you really think you’ve changed, you dumb little bunny? The hatred you had, the hatred that you all carry, is still inside you. Why else would you flinch when Nicholas bares his teeth? Why else would you give off fear-scent as soon as you saw that the driver of your taxi was a predator?” Judy’s ears drooped, and Nick wanted to defend her. He wanted to say that she wasn’t like that, that even if she was she was still trying to make amends, but… it was true wasn’t it? Even if she no longer carried the fox repellent, she still hated him for what he was.

“Mammals can try. That’s all we can do, all any of us can do,” she said. “I know that I’ve failed to completely stop thinking things that my parents well-meaningly taught me. I can’t always control my fear-scent either. All I can do is try to make sure that my thoughts don’t affect my actions. My job is to defend the citizens of Zootopia against those who want to hurt them, and if I’ve ever failed in that… well, you can feel free to tell me and I’ll hand in my badge. But if I haven’t, then I’m afraid that it is my duty to arrest you.”

Nick smiled. Leave it to Judy – stupid, naïve, brilliant Judy – to stand up to a murderer even as she conceded to his points. This was what mattered. Judy made the world make sense, made it seem as though all the shades of grey that were all Nick had ever known could eventually turn unambiguously good. It hurt to think that she was wrong.

“But they don’t try, do they, Nicholas?” von Rathorn said. Judy turned to Nick, ear’s high and hopeful. Nick shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Judy,” he said. “This guy… he needs to be arrested, but he’s also right. Not all mammals are like you, Carrots.”

“Not all mammals are like you either, Nick.” Nick snorted.

“There are more like me than like you.” He turned to von Rathorn. “Look, I appreciate the offer, really, I do, but I have a job to do. You are under arrest.” Erik von Rathorn looked honestly regretful.

“I did hope to let you live, Nicholas. Oh well.” He clapped his hands. “Kill them.” As the bodyguards leapt forward, Nick shoved Judy to the ground and braced himself for the pain.

* * *

 

“Fangmeyer, I need units over the water, stat!” Bogo bellowed into his police radio.

“What’s the situation?” the timber wolf, as always, sounded spookily calm, the kind of calm that Bogo always struggled to achieve.

“An undercover operation’s gone belly-up. Wilde and Hopps are-“

“You found Hopps?” Fangmeyer interrupted. “Is she alive?” Bogo felt his stomach twist painfully.

“We believe so,” he said, “but she won’t be for long unless we get them some backup.”

“I’ll take care of it. Fangmeyer out.” Bogo nearly slammed the radio on the table, petrified by his own uselessness. Why hadn’t he put any units on standby? Why hadn’t he made sure to watch the feed at a location that would be closer to the action? Why had he sent Wilde, of all mammals, who would be more or less defenseless against a larger mammal?

“Bogo, what’s going on?” Lionheart said. Bogo turned to glare at him, and Clawhauser patted him on the shoulder.

“There, there, it’s not your fault,” the cheetah said.

“What’s going on,” said Bogo, voice tight with fury, “is that Wilde’s had his cover blown.” This is what Bogo hated about being the chief of the ZPD. When things went pear-shaped, it was on him. There had to have been something he could have done, some plan, some less obvious camera, to have prevented this. But, no, their cover was blown, and he was useless, unable to get his officers out and away. Most of the time he could ignore it, push all the fear and worry to the back of his mind and remind himself that this was their job, this was what they had signed up for, but this? Von Rathorn was a sadist, a serial killer, and threatening his officers had just made it intensely personal.

“Are you certain?” said Lionheart nervously.

“OF COURSE I’M FUCKING WELL CERTAIN!” Clawhauser’s eyes were wide and scared. Bogo never lost control, not like this, but it was too much. Everything – the exhaustion preying on his mind because of this case, the images of blood and violence from the feed, the idea that backup would arrive too late to save two of his best officers – it all combined to create something that Bogo could not control, not now when he was helpless.

“But – but-“

“He’s right,” Clawhauser said. “They’re being hunted now, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“But what do I tell the public when this comes out? I can’t just tell them that two of the best results of my initiative were killed by a rat, for crying out loud! I’ll be a laughingstock!” Bogo had had enough. He walked right up to the mayor, pure rage thrumming though his veins.

“Listen to me,” he said, voice as tight and cold and controlled as he could make it under the circumstances. “I don’t give a single, solitary fuck about how this will affect your little goodwill campaign, and I definitely don’t give a fuck what it does to your reputation. Mammals have died, you bastard, and all you can think is how it’s going to affect you, you, you. If my officers die tonight, it will be while bringing down one of the worst predator supremacists in recent memory, but no mammal I have ever met will ever be as predatory as you.”

“Are you insulting me?” Lionheart said.

“I’m not insulting you. I’m giving you the cold facts. You will not use their deaths to further your own position. You will not desecrate what they were trying to do like that. If they die, you will go out and make a speech in which you tell the public just how lucky they were that the ZPD had two heroes in its ranks. If they live, you will tell everyone how brave they were to face off against a murderer for the sake of the city. You will not make this about you.” Lionheart’s claws slowly dug into the table in front of him, but he didn’t answer. “Am I understood?”

“Of course,” Lionheart said quietly. Bogo nodded, finally satisfied. Even if he couldn’t help his officers, he could at least defend them against opportunistic assholes like their dear mayor. Suddenly the radio on the table crackled.

“Fangmeyer to Bogo. Come in Bogo.” Bogo snatched up the radio in a flash.

“Report.”

“Chief, we need med evac right now.” Bogo’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach.

“On their way,” he said.

* * *

When the first bodyguard closed his jaws around his shoulder, Nick barely felt it. Everything seemed distant, buried under layers of brain chemicals and fear and adrenaline. Then Judy yelled his name, kicking away his attacker, and the haze was torn away from him.

Nick howled, swaying, trying desperately to stay standing, to stay between them and _Judy oh god they’re going to kill judy I can’t-_ Behind them, von Rathorn was laughing. Nick turned, teeth pulled back and snarling, but he couldn’t leap and bite off that rat’s fool head. He had to protect her, he had to, not that he was actually doing much protecting.

In spite of the fear, in spite of being smaller than even he was, Judy was holding her own. The main problem for the predators, of course, was that they could only use their claws and teeth to hurt her, while she was able to quickly kick out and bounce back to safety. A paw came from behind, about to hit her, and Nick latched on, biting with all the strength in his jaw even as his vision grew spotty and dark. The bodyguard flung him away, and Nick hit the trunk of a tree, unable to move from where he fell in an undignified heap.

“Nick!”

“Carrots,” he muttered, but he was too soft for her to hear, even with her bunny ears. He stared at the sky, at the stars, and he wondered if he would die there.

The ground was shaking. It couldn’t be an elephant, he thought vaguely. Elephants were prey. Bright lights were shining from the sky, and if he squinted he could just make out the black outlines of helicopters.

“Don’t move! This is the ZPD!” Relief melted in Nick’s chest. Police. They would get Carrots out.

The next few minutes were chaos. Nick heard the gunshots, the yowls, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Suddenly they were open, and she was there above him.

“Carrots,” he murmured. She looked like she was almost crying.

“Nick, it’s going to be alright. You’re going to be fine. Med evac will be here in…” She looked away from him.

“Five minutes.” Nick tensed. It was a wolf; Judy was talking to a wolf. What was he doing here? He was one of the bodyguards, maybe, and he was going to hurt Nick and kill Judy and _no no nonono_ -

“Nick, calm down, you’re safe. Don’t panic on me.” Judy sounded frightened. Was he frightening her? “Oh, God, just be alright, please. You can’t die on me like this, Nick.”

There was another bright light, and then he was being taken away, away from Judy, no, no! He struggled and snarled and tried to get away, but she was too far and a needle was being plunged into his arm and then everything was black.

* * *

 

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Judy concentrated on the steady beeping of the heart monitor. As long as it was there, Nick was alive. She was still trembling and every time she closed her eyes she saw him bloody and beaten on the forest floor, but he was alive. That was all that mattered.

Every moment stretched into infinity and time wouldn’t resume until Nick did. She wouldn’t be able to breathe right until he was awake, smiling, cracking a joke. That wouldn’t be for a while, she knew, but she could wait. She had waited for him nearly a week after all.

Nick muttered something in his sleep, brow creasing, and Judy brushed a paw over it, smoothing the lines. She knew that they wouldn’t recover easily from this, from any of it. He had the fear when she went missing and the poison of von Rathorn’s words, not to mention the physical scars and missing eye. She had those long days in captivity and long hours being hunted, as well as that brief moment when she had been afraid that he had died. No, they wouldn’t be able to walk away from this unscathed, not like before, but…

Judy sighed and laid her head down on the edge of the hospital bed. If there was one thing she believed in, it was Nick. When he woke up, called her “Carrots,” and recovered… then they would be alright, she was sure of it.


End file.
